


Going home

by herumtreiber



Category: Twilight (Movies), Twilight Series - All Media Types, Twilight Series - Stephenie Meyer
Genre: Angst, Dark, M/M, Science Fiction, Zombies
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-04-06
Updated: 2013-04-06
Packaged: 2017-12-07 16:13:59
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,242
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/750448
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/herumtreiber/pseuds/herumtreiber
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In the middle of a crumbling world, Edward makes a promise to Jacob he cannot keep.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Going home

**Author's Note:**

> **Warnings:** Multiple character deaths (not Edward or Jacob), zombie!Bella

 

  
  


**Forks**   
**October 31**

Jacob fingered the smooth cover of the book. "This guy was so wrong when he wrote Dracula; I like the reincarnation theme with Mina Harker, though."

"Bram Stoker got some things right, wolf." Edward's pale hand paused over the piano keys as he turned towards Jacob, a frown creeping up on his face. "We are monsters."

Jacob spread his bare legs, idly scratching his midriff. "Do I have to convince you again?"

"That might not be necessary." Edward shuddered at his lover's sensual pose; when Jacob was intent on convincing him he wasn't a monster, it often involved a heavy bout of sex with Edward at the receptive end.

Jacob put the book on the bench and then stood up, lazily stretching his long limbs. He cocked his head at the leather-bound tome. "Take running water for example. Stoker says vampires can't cross it and that's plain silly!"

"Water is the symbol of life, Jacob." Edward walked towards the window. "It stands to reason that the vibrant imagery of a running creek would inspire Stoker to conclude that it will stop us."  

Edward crossed his arms and said in a mournful voice, "After all, we are the undead and life should repel us."

He stared at the moonlit woods, smiling to himself when he heard the soft sound of his lover padding towards him. A few seconds later, Jacob's warm arms enveloped him.

"I'm glad water can't stop you, Edward." Jake leaned down to whisper against the cold ear of his love, "Hot times in the bathtub wouldn't work otherwise."

Jacob's russet hand snaked beneath Edward's cotton shirt to pinch the hard nubs, and he smirked at the groan he coaxed out of his vampire's mouth.

"You are like putty on my fingers," Jacob said firmly. "I'm so glad I can make you come undone."

Edward turned and frowned at his lover's words. "Don't be overconfident, wolf." He was aware of Jake's feelings towards him, but Edward wished fervently the wolf were able to tell Edward that he loved him. However, his experience with Bella had made Jake extremely cautious to the point it exasperated Edward.

When he noticed Jake lowering his gaze, Edward's heart softened. He grinned at the Quileute as he cupped his chin, gently tilting it up so the warm brown eyes he loved would look at him directly.  "It isn't your fault, Jacob. We've talked about this…"

"… countless times before," mumbled Jacob, blushing as he looked sideways at the piano. "Blondie says I take you for granted."

"Rosalie has a point, though." Edward gently pushed Jake backwards until the Quileute's bare ankles touched the piano bench. Jake sat down and Edward took the opportunity to straddle his lover while he caressed the smooth russet skin beneath Jacob's t-shirt. "I'm not Bella, nor will I ever treat you like she did."

"She hasn't called, you know," Jacob said. "She's acting strange and reclusive. Chief Swan says she won't talk to anyone and behaves like a zombie."

Edward glared at Jacob, pursing his lips into a thin line. His stubborn wolf needed to forget the girl who wouldn't accept his love until it was too late. When she felt rejected because her two former suitors hooked up, Bella tried to get in on Jacob's good side. Too late, as it turned out.

Determined to vanish the pesky remembrance of the girl Jacob had once loved, Edward narrowed his eyes as he rubbed his fingers against Jacob's crotch. He grinned when he felt Jacob twitching through the rough fabric of his cutoffs; finally, the vampire smirked in victory when Jake groaned and rocked his hips back and forth as he sought the friction of Edward's cold grip.

Edward's fingers traced the contours of Jake's ripped abs, massaging the hard ridges through the t-shirt as Jake groaned. Growing impatient, Edward grabbed the hem of the t-shirt and swiftly peeled it off Jake's broad chest.

"That's my vintage _Dawn of the Dead_ shirt; be careful, man!" Jake growled in a voice that made Edward's entrance twitch with need.

"I'll buy you another," Edward said as he toed off his loafers. He hooked his thumbs around the waistband of his boxers and lowered them and his cotton pants to his feet, stepping out of them.

Jake's mental imagery made the vampire ache with need. Despite his words, the Quileute had been entranced by the tale of the old vampire; he visualized Edward clad in Victorian garb and stalking him through the foggy streets of London. The scene was a composite of the films Jacob had seen; in the dimly lit alleyway, the seemingly weak human turned and shifted into a giant wolf that pursued him. Edward's golden eyes darkened at the thought of himself becoming Jacob's prey.

Edward's hole clenched reflexively; he needed the reassurance of Jacob's dick spearing him because this night was hard for him. In the moment when humans felt closer to the spiritual world, Edward felt cut off from the rest of humanity. Akin to the monsters that peopled the imagination of trick-or-treaters, Edward was alone and only Jacob's warmth and laugh anchored him solidly to the life he had left so long ago.

Edward pinned him against the bench as Jacob curled the pale legs around his hips. Jacob caressed Edward's rump with one hand while he struggled to free his burgeoning shaft from the confines of the jeans, not bothering to take them off.

A few seconds later, Edward licked his lips at the sight of the glistening cockhead below. He reached his hand inside the pockets of Jake's cutoffs, fishing for the lube he knew was there. His hands rubbed Jake's freed arousal but Jacob jerked up his hips, growing impatient. Edward pressed his hand against the perfectly cut v of Jacob's hips, indicating that he should stay still.     

"C'mon, we don't need it," Jacob said with a groan. Edward grinned at the fact that his wolf's mind was finally free from any thought about the mortal girl they had both left behind.  

"We do, wolf." Edward smiled proudly. "Remember two days ago when you insisted I should fuck you without lube? You couldn't walk at all and I had to think of an excuse when Embry called me to ask about you."

Edward looked down at the thick prick throbbing below as he spread Jake's precome down his cock before he let it go, swiping his thumb along the crown. He leaned forward so that his cold shaft touched Jacob's length, then he rocked his hips so their pricks rubbed against each other, nestled between their fingers.

"Don't… tease me!" Jacob panted as he thrust up his hips to get more of the tantalizing friction. He lifted up his vampire's body, his thumbs kneading the pale buttocks as he groaned at the sight of his disheveled lover. Then he lowered Edward, ready to impale him.

Edward draped his arms over Jake's shoulder, groaning as he slowly sank upon the thick cock. He knew that his inner walls squeezing around Jacob could get uncomfortable for the wolf, so he tried to relax his body and forget the pain of the stretch to allow Jacob to penetrate him fully. His stubborn wolf wouldn't say anything about Edward squeezing him like a vise, but Edward could read his discomfort.

Jacob smiled up at him before he tilted down his chin, staring hungrily at the place where his cock forced Edward open. He groaned at the sight of the rim stretching around his girth, his thumb reaching to caress the pale skin. The warm touch on the place where they were intimately joined made Edward moan.

Edward rode Jacob slowly, letting gravity do most of the work. He rolled his hips when his buttocks were flush against Jacob's crotch, the fabric of the cutoffs rough against his skin. Edward clenched around the hard flesh inside him, his eyes darkening with lust as pleasure overwhelmed him; the initially painful stretch had given way to the satisfying friction of the hot flesh rubbing against his insides. Edward's hands roamed over the smooth expanse of Jacob's chest as he bobbed up and down, grunting when he leaned forward to kiss Jacob. The new angle caused the thick shaft to rub against his prostate, and Edward looped his arm around Jake's neck as he rocked his hips.

Edward's nostrils flared while he inhaled the musky scent of their arousal; Jacob's sweat mixed so nicely with the cologne he'd bought him. He looked down at his wolf through lowered lids as Jacob, with a mighty heave of his thighs, pushed up Edward's body. The vampire arched his back as he spread his pale thighs, his fingers closing around the base of his shaft to stave off his orgasm. Reading Jacob's thoughts, Edward wrapped his legs around Jake's torso as the Quileute stood up.    
  
As Jacob stepped towards the piano, Edward grunted when the motion caused Jacob's prick to rub against his prostate. His body bounced on the thick shaft impaling him; when Edward's cock rubbed against the smooth skin of Jake's abs, it was the last straw. Edward came with a shout and squeezed Jacob so tightly that the Quileute grimaced in pain. Then Jake ground his hips with a lazy motion as he continued thrusting into the fluttering walls that trapped him. The wolf groaned as he stabbed his cock inside Edward's welcoming body one last time, emptying himself inside his lover. Then he leaned forward to lower Edward on the keyboard of the piano.

Still joined intimately to his lover, Edward sighed.

"What's the matter?" Jake raised his eyebrows.

"It's Carlisle. He's coming up because he has pretty bad news."

\--

  
**Bigelow Preserve, Maine  
Summer of 2142**

"Abe, please give me the photo, 'kay?"  

Abe Young looked up from the glossy picture while his thumb lingered over the fine features of the man with tousled hair. He sighed, hoping there would come a day when someone looked at him the way the dark-haired guy looked at the other chiseled guy on the photo.  

"Here you are, Richard." He gave his friend the picture, and Abe's fingers lingered on the pale wrist of his erstwhile rival and constant companion. If only he could add lover to that list, he thought.

"You looked up the faces?" Richard gazed at the tattoo on his friend's arm. It glowed richly, signaling the complex lattice of nanomolecules interwoven just beneath the skin worked perfectly, connecting them to the worldwide Cloud. Apparently, the links had remained functional despite the freakish solar flares which often hampered satellite communications.

"I did." Abe shrugged his broad shoulders. "Nothing ever came up. It's like these guys never existed. The Cloud can't locate any trace of them."

"Maybe they lived before there were computers," Richard muttered as his thumb traced the ancient-looking wheel of the vehicle the young guy drove; his own searches had turned up the make and model of the car, indicating where it was assembled. Nothing about the men, though. He said musingly, "Bet they died during one of the World Wars the teacher played for us."

"I doubt it." Abe cocked his head at the picture. "The Cloud machines analyzed the patterns of the cute guy's shirt. Turns out it was woven just before the Plague."

His gaze caressing Abe's tanned face, Richard said, "Why do you care so much?"

"I have this weird sensation, you know?" Abe shrugged nonchalantly. "It's like I have seen them before, maybe in dreams. I can imagine snippets of their conversation."

"Do they speak Quileute, like your family?" Richard said, ruffling his tousled hair, "In your mind, I mean?"

"Who knows?" Abe sighed. He sure missed his parents, whom he'd left behind in Forks, but with the way the jobs migrated these days, he was forced to move to the East Coast. "I wonder who took the photo, though."

\--

  
**Forks  
The present**

Jake drove with determination through the pouring rain. His right hand toyed nervously with the worn leather of the seat as he gazed at Edward.

"Your family made it all right?"

"Most of them. They left for Canada." Edward sighed. "Jasper tried to fight a rearguard action against the zombies that made their way through the forest, but they are unbeatable."

"I'm sorry he's gone."

"It wasn't your fault, Jacob."

"But I couldn't help you, man!" Jake pushed the pedal, gauging the sound to see if the motor of the old truck would last.

"Those damned undead things are really sneaky." Jake frowned at the rearview mirror and gulped. "They can kill us, you know. Jared…"

Edward squeezed Jacob's shoulder. His lover was still reeling from the loss of his packmate. Jared Cameron had been ambushed near the Quilayute by several zombies, and not even his wolf strength had prevailed against the feral jaws of the decaying undead that hungered for brains.  

Jacob swallowed thickly while he gazed at the road ahead; he gripped the wheel tightly as he looked sideways at Edward. "Will we ever be able to go home again? I'm sorry I insisted we leave, but Seth saw the news: the zombies are thickest around Forks."

"Do not worry, Jacob. I promise you we'll find our way home again." Edward's fingers touched the dashboard of Bella's truck. "It's lucky Bella left her truck behind after she…"

"… turned into a zombie." Jacob's thumb wiped the tear which rolled down his cheek. "Good thing the truck is old, or we'd be fried."

The zombies were a tricky bunch. After they haphazardly discovered that the electromagnetic changes in their dead bodies ruined the microchips embedded in newer models, the zombies managed to render most vehicles unusable and to destroy the means by which Forks communicated with the rest of the world.

With the glittering cars of the Cullens out of order, Jake and Edward were forced to run the gauntlet of the undead in Bella's old truck.  

Jacob fought back tears when he thought about Charlie's sad fate. Chief Swan had died after calling Billy to warn the Quileutes of the design of the zombies. Bella's wrath knew no bounds; she had no intention to spare her father.

Charlie hadn't noticed the change in his taciturn daughter. Then again, Bella's behavior after being jilted by the two boys had been rather quiet and withdrawn, so her descent into zombie status went virtually unnoticed by everyone. Only her friends Jessica and Erik grew suspicious, but they were swiftly dealt with by the zombie horde Bella collected around herself.

Jacob took a deep breath, his voice coming out in a hoarse whisper, "Edward, I love you so much."

Jacob was glad he had the opportunity to tell Edward how he felt; even here, fleeing the zombies. Somehow, it was fitting Jake should finally speak about his feelings in the middle of the forests he loved so much, accompanied by the man without whom he couldn't imagine life.

The words hit Edward like a hammer, though. If Jake had managed to overcome his inhibitions about being rejected at this dangerous moment, it meant he thought all was lost.

"I love you too, wolf," he said softly, snaking his fingers beneath Jacob's t-shirt to rub his thumb along his tattoo.

"I know, you've told me lots of times." Jake stared at the road ahead, not knowing if the streaks that obscured his vision came from the raindrops spattering the windshield or his tears. "Most of all, I'm sorry I haven't told you how much I love you."

"I'm honored, Jake."

"Feels like I've known you forever, you know. Perhaps we met in another life." Jake's fingers tapped against the wheel. "Your moods, your smile… I could predict them even back when we fought over her." He took a deep breath and the words rushed out of his mouth. "Edward, I want you to know that…"

"Don't say it, Jake!" Edward said sharply.

"I have to, man. I want you to go on even if I should die!" Jake shook his head, concentrating on the road so he wouldn't have to look at his lover's woebegone face. "I want you to live for me."

"I can't. I just can't…"

"You can, Edward. If I should go before you, I'm sure I'll meet you again. I haven't told you this because I was waiting for the right time and all, but I dreamed I met you back when you were young. Who knows? Perhaps the disease that got you when you were alive got me too, and then when I reincarnated…"

"Don't be silly, Jacob! You'll live." Edward gulped, remembering the greedy eyes of the zombies that had trapped Jake in his house. Alerted by Alice's vision, Edward had barged in, disregarding the Treaty which was null and void because Quileutes and Cullens had had to leave Forks and the Reservation behind.

Edward had felt so useless, relying on Alice's power. The zombies were forever beyond his ken because he couldn't read their dead brains, only being able to catch a fleeting glimpse after they devoured their grisly meals.

"Whatever. I love you." Jacob said firmly, "Wanted you to know how I feel in case I'm unable to return home with you."

"I will take you home, Jacob."

Jacob glanced ahead and hastily pushed the brake pedal. The truck swerved on the road and jerked to a stop in front of dim silhouettes which stood mutely in the ochre shadows cast by the twilight. The frayed clothes, plus the odor of decay and rotting flesh, told the boys they were surrounded by the zombies.  

The leader stared at Jacob with a dead expression on her beady eyes. The woman had straggly black hair which hung limply around her shoulders, framing the tattered remains of her plaid shirt. Bella's once beautiful features hung slack as she gazed at the two men she had loved so passionately, back when she was human and before her body rotted from inside. One rainy afternoon, Bella had been listening on the radio and heard the strange rumors of something causing people to die and yet linger in this world. She hadn't known her turn would come next.

Bella stood in front of her old truck, hardly remembering the times when she drove it. She stabbed her hand at it and the zombies lurched towards the boys trapped inside the car. They spread in an arc as their arms rocked the red chassis of the truck back and forth, jostling the men inside.

"Come on, wolf. Drive away!" Edward shouted, but it was in vain. Jacob stared fixedly at Bella; he knew he should just drive over her but he couldn't find it in him to push the pedal. Bella, the girl he once loved so passionately, stood in the way.  

Realizing he would be unable to convince the wolf in time, Edward grabbed the wheel and used his formidable strength to overcome Jacob. Meanwhile, the zombies had yanked open the door and leaned inside, their voracious maws seeking the brains that would assuage their endless hunger. Several rotting hands reached for the Quileute's warm flesh while Edward despaired, but his foot finally made contact with the pedal and the truck shot forward. It crashed onto Bella's body with a sickening thudding sound, and the boys were jolted as the vehicle lurched over the body of the zombie.

The truck dashed ahead and Edward didn't stop until they were several miles away from the undead.  

His mind recoiling at the odd smell in the truck cabin, Edward said weakly. "Are you fine, Jake?"

Edward took a deep breath and the coppery scent of blood overwhelmed him because it was rich and fresh. It flowed with a life as rich as the running waters of the Quilayute, for it was Jake's blood that had been spilled, not the dead liquid which jostled inside Bella and her zombies.

The Quileute wheezed in pain. "I'm fine, man. I think one of them got me, though."

Jacob lifted his arm, staring uncomprehendingly at the dark blood seeping down from a wound that ran the length of his forearm.

At that moment, Edward knew true despair and yelled.

Jacob took a deep breath and his lips twitched briefly in a grimace. "I think we know what this means, Edward. The zombies infected me."

Edward caressed Jacob's face. "Don't even think about giving up, wolf! We'll find Carlisle and he will heal you. You won't become a zombie!"

"You'll have to live for me, Edward." Jacob said tiredly, staring at Edward as if he was the most precious thing in the world while he wrapped his good arm around his vampire.  "Remember what I told you? I'm sure we'll meet in another life."

Between bouts of coughing, Jake said, "Promise you'll live for me, Edward."

Knowing he would never be able to lie to Jake if he looked into his warm eyes, Edward turned his face to look at the road and sobbed his answer. "I will, Jake."

Even then, Edward was planning the swiftest way to depart this world if he lost Jacob.  

At that moment the vampire who stood twenty yards in front of the truck wrapped her arms around herself; Alice lowered her gaze, staring at the electronic camera she held on the palm of her hand.

Knowing that her time on this Earth was drawing to a close, she swiftly buried the camera on the ground, following the plans she'd made to ensure the contents of the camera would reach Carlisle. It was vital that Carlisle should see the photos, for they held the gene sequence the biotechnology company had tampered with in their secret facility. They had tried to cure a disease, but instead unleashed the illness that caused the zombie outbreak. Alice hadn't the slightest idea how to reverse the effect, but she was confident in Carlisle's abilities.

Alice turned to face the woods and ran away from the place she'd hidden the camera, knowing the zombie horde would reach her soon. She stopped in the middle of the woods and crossed her arms to wait patiently. The vision of her death only spurred her on because she was sure she would meet Jasper again, the man who had been wrenched so cruelly from her.

As she waited for the undead, Alice pondered the contents of the camera. In this moment in the middle of the storm, she wasn't sure what was more important: the genetic blueprints that would ensure the zombie plague was dealt with, or the photo showing the abiding love between her brother and Jacob, the man she had once called a dog.

If anyone in the future should chance to see their love, it would send a powerful message indeed: even in the dark times that enveloped them, love flourished.

Alice waited for her end and sighed as she recalled Jake's loving gaze. It was the same love she had seen reflected in Jasper's face, and she resolutely squared her shoulders, eager to meet Jasper again.

\--

  
**Bigelow Preserve, Maine  
Summer of 2142**

Richard's fingers touched reverently the handsome face of the dark-haired boy on the photo, wondering what had happened to him. Somehow, the way the boy looked at his lover seemed oddly familiar. The green-eyed boy looked up at Abe and scrunched up his face in concentration. "Do you think they survived the Plague?"

"I don't know. The Cloud machines themselves aren't sure." Abe shrugged, and then explained. "While you stared at the photo I sent a query to the satellite above us."

"People did survive the Zombie Plague." Richard said hoarsely, his fingers touching his chiseled cheeks. He wasn't sure why he was so keen on proving the two men had made it past that dark time; Richard just felt the aching need to do so. "The cure was so simple in retrospect."

"No one has ever found out the name of the person who discovered it, though. They uploaded the chemical formula and then disappeared." Abe ruffled his short, black hair as he gazed intently at his friend. "I've seen messages in the Cloud. They said that afterwards, the person committed suicide and that's why…"

Abe stopped because he noticed the wolf tattoo shining brightly on his shoulder. He glanced down, noticing the message on the nanodisplay embedded on his skin. He frowned as he read it and then looked up to gaze at the face of his crush. "Have to go, man. My sister Rachel says something's come up!" 

Richard smiled warmly at his handsome friend, his green eyes lighting up. "That's okay. I'll go with you."

Abe laid the photo on the table and made his way to the door.

"Aren't you taking the photo with you?" Richard said, cocking his head at the glossy picture.

"Nope, Richard. I can always come back." Abe rubbed his abs, covered by his flimsy shirt.  "Come on, Rach sounded frantic."

\--

Hours later, after the dusk had turned to night, the moonlight illuminated the woods around the deserted building. A man approached the empty house. The stars twinkled overhead, their numbers increased by the bright pinpricks of the space stations and orbiting habitats circling the planet.

He climbed the stairs with ethereal grace and the moonlight haloed his handsome face as he entered the room. The man approached the table and gazed down at the picture, his fingers reaching out to touch the face he had known so well.

Sighing deeply, he sat down to wait in the darkness. The man recalled the events around the photo and the people dear to his heart that had died. Their loss had left an aching hole in his heart that only time could fill with its glacial tempo. Even after all these years, on nights like these sadness overwhelmed him.

Nevertheless, when he heard the sound of soft padding on the steps, the man looked towards the door and smiled winsomely at the slim silhouette that stood there, briefly limned by the moon.

"Sorry I took so long, Edward. Had to cover our tracks after… you know."

Edward sighed in contentment. "I understand."

"Are you sure they're gone?"

"I can read minds, you know."

The newcomer approached the vampire and grinned, his teeth shining in the moonlight. "Course I do! It took me a while to erase the message I sent to get my great-grand-nephew Abe to go home. Had to be discreet." 

"His mind resembles yours, Jake." Edward looked up at his husband of so many years. "It's strange, considering he's never met you."

"Well, we have to stay hidden." Jake said as he padded towards Edward and then sat on his lap. "I've kept a tab on the kid, though. Promised Rachel I'd look after her descendants when she was on her deathbed."

Edward cupped Jake's cheek and stared into his dark eyes. "I know. It still hurts to think about the people I've lost."

His gaze strayed to the photo and Edward said, "I still don’t know how you found out they downloaded the photo, wolf."

"Ed, I have my means." Jacob grinned wolfishly at his lover. "I've had to keep my mind occupied, so I played with the Cloud. I was there when they developed the architecture to spread the data among the machines in orbit."

Jacob brushed his fingers through Edward's soft hair. "I found out someone coded the photograph to appear in a certain day."

Edward said, "Alice must have foreseen that those two would find it."

"But how did she know…?"

"She knew her way around computers," Edward said, his fingers tracing a path up Jacob's slim flank to his biceps. "And with her powers, nothing would surprise me."

"But why would she want those two to see it?" Jake said.

Edward's thumb lingered on the faint scar that remained on Jacob's arm. He grimaced when he recalled that dark night so long ago. Jake had weakened considerably until Carlisle showed up. Having the blueprints left by Alice which allowed him to unravel the havoc created by the experiment, Carlisle set to work with a passion.

"I have an idea, wolf," Edward said.

He smiled when his fingers traced the tattoo on Jake's shoulder. It held the key to the recovery of his wolf. The magic inherent in the tattoo had changed the tissue there and, once Carlisle had this insight, the solution to the Zombie Plague was at hand. Nowadays, people wore the nanomachines that made possible instant communication around the world without being aware that it also protected them from the genetic changes that had led to the Zombie Plague.

"You haven't answered my question," Jake said, bringing Edward's mind to the present. The Quileute gazed at Edward with the same intensity and love as the photo on the table. Anyone who looked at the two men and then at the photo would have trouble believing the shot was taken more than one hundred years ago.

"I think Alice foresaw their difficulties and left the photo as encouragement." Edward wrapped his arms around Jake's torso, his mind recalling the despair he'd felt then. "She wanted to transmit part of the love she and Jasper shared, and that was her way. It's a pity she died."

"How can you be so sure?"

"Easy, Jacob. It's what I would have done. I would have wanted people to have the same hope you make me feel."

"That is wise, Edward."

"It's the same thing you would have done, Jacob. You taught me that hope lives on."

Jake blushed and hid his face in Edward's neck while the vampire ruffled his hair. Jake never ceased to amaze him, even after all these years. Jacob had the ability to change, to flow with time like the surging waters of the Quilayute River which waited for them on the other side of the continent.  Edward cherished the vitality that Jake exuded with every step he took. But the photo had brought back poignant memories to Edward's mind, like the promise he couldn't keep. He sighed wistfully.

"Why are you so sad?" Jacob tilted up his chin, leaning forward until his stubble scratched Edward's cheek. "I've just disabled the link Abe used and we are safe from discovery."

"I remember the promise I made you the night the zombie attacked you."  Edward pointed at the glossy picture. "I said I would take you home but we weren't able to return until 20 years later, and by then Forks had changed beyond recognition. We never got to go home."

"You're wrong, Edward." Jake wrapped his strong arms around his husband, the movement jostling the table. The photo fluttered down to the floor as Jacob framed Edward's face with his hands and stared at him. "You've been my home for so long. I love you. Always have and always will."

"So do I, Jake."

"I know, Edward." Jake nuzzled his face against Edward's. "The night is young. Want to hunt with me?"

"Sure, wolf." Edward grinned at he prospect of running wild with Jacob under the ocean of night which hinted at infinity.

Jacob stood up and reached his hand towards Edward, smiling warmly. "And the love we share? It's home enough for me."

Jake's words smoothed Edward's brow and made him resemble the boy who had dreamed of wild adventures under the Illinois sky so many years ago.


End file.
